


Whumptober 2020 - 16 - Sorry

by Celticgal1041



Series: Whumptober 2020 [16]
Category: Magnum P.I. (TV 2018)
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hostage Situations, Hurt/Comfort, Whump, Whumptober 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:41:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27048877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Celticgal1041/pseuds/Celticgal1041
Summary: Wordlessly, she allowed herself to be escorted inside, every fibre of her being dreading the moment when she’d gaze upon Magnum’s dead body.
Series: Whumptober 2020 [16]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1949548
Comments: 13
Kudos: 45
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	Whumptober 2020 - 16 - Sorry

This would make a great White Knight novel, he thought to himself before he was rudely pulled from his ruminations by the arm around his throat that was severely cutting off his oxygen.

“Drop your weapons and get out of the way!”

Magnum winced at the man’s shout, his ear far too close for comfort to his captor’s mouth. From the expressions on his friends’ faces, they had no intention of obeying and kept their guns firmly trained in his direction.

Thomas would have sighed if he’d had the air to spare, but as things stood Jessup Walker, the man currently holding him hostage, pretty much had his airway compressed to the width of thin straw. It was enough for him to remain conscious and on his feet, but anything more was likely out of the question. Fortunately, Magnum wasn’t worried.

Walker had somehow gotten his hands on a deadly neurotoxin and wanted Island Hoppers’ pilot to fly him over Waikiki Beach to release it. Although the stakes were high, Thomas had a secret weapon. Or in this case, three secret weapons: Rick, TC and Higgins. No way would they allow this crazy man’s plan to succeed, and Magnum, for his part, would make sure they had the leeway to do whatever was necessary to ensure a positive outcome.

Swallowing with effort, Thomas looked straight at Higgins who was directly in his line of sight. “Shoot him,” he rasped, hoping he’d spoken loudly enough for the others to hear. Based on the immediate look of disbelief on Juliet’s face, she’d heard him just fine. Unfortunately, it appeared she had absolutely no intention of doing as he’d asked.

“Shoot,” Magnum tried again, the word strangled partway as Walker increased the pressure on his throat. His hands came up as he clawed weakly at the man’s arm, but Jessup was strong, and Thomas’ efforts had no effect.

“Unless you want your friend to be carried out of here in a body bag, you need to let me go,” Walker roared from in behind his human shield. Magnum was actually surprised the tactic had worked so far, since he was easily broader and taller than the investigator by several inches.

Thomas’ vision was beginning to darken at the edges, a sure sign that his oxygen deprivation was becoming extreme. With difficulty, he shifted his gaze to Rick, the bar owner confidently staring back at him through the sights of his weapon. “Shoot him,” he pleaded, the words coming out hoarse and barely decipherable, but he was certain his friend had understood.

“Jules, go outside and call Katsumoto,” Wright ordered, his eyes never shifting away from his target.

“What?” Higgins blurted. “I’ll do no such thing.”

“It’s the best way you can help right now, Higgy,” TC stated, his tone low and even. “And call for a bus while you’re at it.”

Realization dawned and Higgins’ features rearranged themselves to an expression of horror. “You can’t be serious,” she demanded, her voice high with stress.

“As a heart attack,” Rick replied, his neutral tone belying the tension in his muscles as he lined up his shot.

Higgins wanted to argue further, but also recognized she ran the risk of giving away their plan. Still, she couldn’t condone what was about to happen and sought out Magnum’s gaze for some sort of direction.

Despite feeling lightheaded from a lack of oxygen, Thomas met her gaze wearing an expression of sorrow. In Juliet’s mind that was more than reason enough to call off their plan. But then, Magnum surprised her by summoning the last of his air to reinforce Rick’s earlier request. “Go.”

Completely flummoxed but wavering in her resolve, Higgins gave a small dip of her chin in reply, before backing slowly towards the door where she exited. She took two steps to the side, so she was out of view of the men inside and pulled out her phone with trembling fingers. As she’d been instructed, she dutifully called Katsumoto, requesting his presence at once at the Island Hoppers office.

As he was requesting more information about why he’d been summoned, a shot rang out behind her. She startled badly, nearly dropping the phone, and a sob rent its way from her throat.

“Was that a gunshot?” Katsumoto asked as he rushed to his car.

Higgins took a moment to swallow thickly before she was able to answer. “Yes. Please send an ambulance as well.” Without offering any further explanation, she disconnected the call, her heart beating wildly in her chest as her mind conjured one terrible image after another.

“Jules!”

Higgins had wrapped her arms around herself, feeling suddenly and inexplicably chilled. A pit had cracked open deep in her chest, and she feared it was a Magnum-sized hole that would never be filled again.

“Jules,” TC said again, the man unexpectedly beside her and resting his warm hand on her shoulder. “You can come inside now; it’s safe.”

Higgins searched his eyes for any hint of grief, but his expression reflected only concern; for whom, she wasn’t certain. Wordlessly, she allowed herself to be escorted inside, every fibre of her being dreading the moment when she’d gaze upon Magnum’s dead body. Instead, she was met with a grinning, if somewhat subdued version of the gregarious P.I. who was currently being tended to by Rick.

“Hey, Higgy,” Wright threw over his shoulder in greeting, the man swiftly having reverted to his devil-may-care attitude as soon as the danger had been dealt with. “Stop squirming, Tommy,” he huffed in exasperation, the comment drawing Juliet’s eyes to the man’s hands.

There was a slowly spreading red stain high on Magnum’s shoulder, and she managed just a quick glimpse before Rick covered it with his bunched-up shirt. Though Thomas did his best not to react, she caught the wince of pain when Wright pressed harder as he worked to stem the flow of blood. “You’ve been shot,” she proclaimed, still reeling from the fact that the man was alive.

The comment made Magnum grimace as though in pain, though his brothers knew his reaction wasn’t for himself. “Yeah, sorry about that,” he rasped, his voice rough as sandpaper from Walker’s rough handling.

Sorry for scaring her? For letting her believe for a few short minutes that he might be dead? For believing she couldn’t handle a hostage situation, though she’d managed her fair share over the course of her career with MI-6?

“Yeah, I’m sorry, too,” Rick added, his tone contrite. “I knew you didn’t like where things were heading, and I didn’t want you to be here if they ended badly.”

Ah, sorry for scaring her, then.

Shifting her gaze, she noted Walker’s lifeless form lying several feet away from them. Rick’s shot had clearly been intended to cause the least amount of harm to Magnum while causing maximum damage to man hiding behind him.

Blinking, her eyes were drawn back to Thomas. His shoulder wound still bled, but he was sitting upright and alive, his perceptive gaze pinned to her. With effort, she dredged up a smile, the P.I. immediately returning it. The chill she felt before slowly dissipated as the hole in her chest melted away.

At the sound of the approaching sirens, she raised a brow as she said, “I can’t wait to see how you explain all this to Gordon. While he may share your desire to shoot Magnum, I’m fairly certain he’d never actually follow through.” The men were still chuckling at her comment when the man in question burst through the door.

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to AZGirl for proofing; all remaining mistakes are mine.
> 
> This story was based on the day 16 prompt: A terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day: forced to beg / hallucinations / shoot the hostage
> 
> Thanks for reading and I'd love to hear your thoughts if you're so inclined!


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